Explore the Strategy
Apply the Strategy
You will now have an opportunity to apply the strategy of experiencing history museums. For this activity, you will need a copy of the book Motel of the Mysteries by David Macaulay (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1979.) This book recreates a fictional archeological discovery site in the year 4022 and describes how the site's artifacts are interpreted for a museum. The book is available from the publisher and major booksellers.
- Step 1:
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Begin by reading Motel of the Mysteries. The book is humorous and will no doubt appeal to students. It is useful to this study because it offers insights into how archeologists, anthropologists, scientists, and historians do their work and come to understand (or misunderstand) the primary source materials with which they work. When you have finished reading, discuss the following questions about real historical interpretations with your colleagues, or reflect on them in your journal.
- How do we know what we know?
- How do we know the experts' interpretations of primary sources are correct? Do those interpretations change over time or conflict between experts?
- How might future historians view and interpret the artifacts and primary sources from our time?
- How do historians, archeologists, scientists, and anthropologists work together to uncover the mysteries of the past, and help us understand ancient civilizations and cultures?
- Step 2:
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Go to a local museum and explore the artifacts on display there. [Note: If you need help finding a museum near you, go to Museums in the USA. If a museum trip is not possible, consider going on a virtual visit to a museum Web site by selecting one of the collections at the Smithsonian Institute or the Peabody Essex Museum Web sites.]
Peabody Essex Museum
http://www.pem.org/exhibitions/media.phpSmithsonian Institute: History and Culture
http://www.si.edu/history_and_culture/Work in small groups. Each group should find a small collection of about 3-5 artifacts that focuses on one particular society (such as Moundville). You may want to assign one artifact to each group member. For each artifact, include the following in your journal:
- an accurate drawing of the artifact;
- a written description of the artifact;
- an explanation of what historians, scientists, archaeologists, and others have determined about the artifact; and
- an alternative theory for what the artifact might be used for. This is the Macaulay approach. The alternate theory needs to be as convincing as possible, given what you know about the culture.
When finished, put all of the information on large chart paper and present it to the other groups.
- Step 3:
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After you experience a local museum or online museum exhibition, you can create a classroom museum. This activity reinforces the notion that interpretations can differ and helps you think about strategies for working with documents and materials you may not understand.
- Each group should create a set of 8-10 "artifacts" that another group can analyze. Together these artifacts should add up to a limited biography of an actual person or tell the history of a place. For example, an envelope that contains a birth certificate, driver's license, college diploma, pay stub, letters, photographs, marriage license, and obituary -- all from one person's life -- will yield certain information about that person. Once each set of artifacts is complete, exchange your set with that of another group.
- Begin on your own to analyze the artifacts provided by another group. In your journal, write down an interpretation of the story told by this set of artifacts.
- Once everyone in your group has completed their analysis, share your individual interpretations with each other. Then, discuss the similarities and differences between the stories each of you gleaned from the artifacts. Finally, discuss your experience with analyzing the artifacts and attempting to understand their story.